Nearly 44.4 million South Koreans headed to the polls on Tuesday in a snap presidential election triggered by the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, who was ousted after an attempt to impose martial law last December.
The vote, held across 14,295 polling stations, opened at 6:00 a.m. local time and closed at 8:00 p.m., with turnout reaching 77.8% in the final hour—a record high for a South Korean presidential election. Exit polls projected a decisive victory for opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party candidate, over conservative rival Kim Moon-soo of the ruling People Power Party.
The election marks a pivotal moment for South Korea after months of upheaval following Yoon’s failed power grab. His impeachment in April, upheld by the Constitutional Court, plunged the country into political uncertainty and set the stage for a bitter contest between Lee, a progressive reformist, and Kim, a former Yoon cabinet member seeking to salvage conservative support.
Exit polls by major broadcasters KBS, MBC, and SBS showed Lee leading with 51.7% of the vote, compared to Kim’s 39.3%—a gap exceeding 12 percentage points. If confirmed, the result would mark a sharp reversal from the 2022 election, when Yoon narrowly defeated Lee by just 0.6 points.
Lee, a former governor and mayor known for his anti-elitist rhetoric, framed the election as a chance to restore democracy after Yoon’s “insurrection.” In his final campaign speech, he vowed to complete a “revolution of light” against authoritarianism. His pledges include economic stimulus through fiscal expansion and accountability for those involved in the martial law crisis.
Kim, meanwhile, sought to rally conservative voters by portraying Lee as a would-be “dictator” and warning of unchecked liberal reforms. He promised economic revival and a crackdown on corruption but struggled to overcome his party’s internal divisions and ties to Yoon’s scandal-tainted administration.
With results expected by midnight, Lee is poised to take office immediately, bypassing the usual 60-day transition period. His victory would solidify a leftward shift in South Korean politics, with implications for domestic reforms, U.S. relations, and economic policy amid rising trade tensions.
Overseas and early voting, held last week, saw strong participation, reflecting public urgency after Yoon’s dramatic downfall. Analysts say the record turnout signals deep voter engagement in a race that has become a referendum on democracy itself.